3-birdie binge earns Johnson his first title

MILWAUKEE — Richard S. Johnson birdied three of his last four holes for a 6-under-par 64 to earn is first PGA Tour victory. He finished at 16-under 264 and became the seventh first-time winner on the tour this year.

Ken Duke closed with a 65 and was the runner-up at Brown Deer Park Golf Course.

Former BYU golfer Dean Wilson (65), Chad Campbell (65) and Chris Riley (66) tied for third at 13-under.

Kenny Perry closed brilliantly with a 64 to get to 12-under and finish tied for sixth with three other golfers. He had been criticized for skipping the British Open to play this event after winning three of his last five tournaments, including last week's John Deere Classic.

Perry chose to play in Milwaukee because he felt he had the best chance of picking up points so he can make this year's Ryder Cup team. The event is being held in his native Kentucky.

Perry felt his finish vindicated that decision.

"I accomplished my goal," Perry said. "I wanted to top 10 it. I told my people, I told my friends. I said, 'If I can just go there and have a good top 10, I've accomplished my mission."'

CHAMPIONS TOUR: At Blaine, Minn., R.W. Eaks was the runaway winner in the Champions Tour 3M Championship, posting the lowest score in the tournament's 16-year history. Eaks shot a 7-under 65 in the final round to finish with a 54-hole total of 193, four shots better than Ed Dougherty's finish in 2000. Gary Hallberg and Bernhard Langer tied for second at 17-under 199 for the tournament. Ron Streck (70) finished at 15 under, and Mike Goodes (66), Tom Kite (65) and Rod Spittle (65) finished at 14 under. Jones, Goodes and Spittle were Monday qualifiers.

LPGA TOUR: At Springfield, Ill., second-year LPGA golfer Ji Young Oh won her first tournament, sinking a 6-inch putt for par to win the State Farm Classic in a playoff over rookie Yani Tseng. A day after the tournament lost its marquee player, Michelle Wie, to disqualification for failing to sign her card, the sudden-death playoff injected life into what had been an ordinary final round. Oh and Tseng finished regulation at 18-under par.

Tseng, the leader coming into Sunday, chipped her third shot over the green and into the rough, then pitched her ball to about 6 feet from the cup.

But Oh's third shot, from just inside the rough, left her with the tap-in that gave her the win. Tseng shot a 66 in each of the first three rounds before her even-par 72 to force the playoff. Na Yeon Choi finished in third place at 17 under for the tournament after shooting a 4-under 68 Sunday. On a day dominated by youth, Chinese LPGA rookie Shanshan Feng shot a 9-under 63 — the second best round of the tournament along with Christina Kim's first round — and finished the tournament at 16 under par, tied for fourth place with Stacy Prammanasudh and Hee-Won Han.

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